Belgium's Princess Delphine attends first official royal event since recognition

Belgium's Princess Delphine attends first official royal event since recognition
Credit: Royal Palace/Belga

On Wednesday, Belgium's Princes Delphine and her husband were present at a traditional ceremony for the deceased members of the royal family in the royal crypt of the Notre-Dame church in Laeken.

Every year since 1935, a mass has been held on 17 February to commemorate all deceased members of the Royal Family.

"Princess Delphine was invited, like her siblings, and responded positively," Francis Sobry, a spokesperson for the palace, told Het Nieuwsblad.

This year, however, the mass could not take place due to the coronavirus measures, and the members of the family followed each other into the crypt, separately and per social bubble.

✨ Souvenir et hommage aux membres défunts de la Famille Royale dans la Crypte royale de l’église Notre-Dame de Laeken.... Posted by Belgische Monarchie Monarchie belge Belgian Monarchy on Wednesday, February 17, 2021

In early 2020, after years of legal battles and a court-ordered DNA test, King Albert acknowledged that he was Boël’s biological father.

On 1 October 2020, Delphine Boël was also officially recognised as the legitimate daughter of King Albert II, according to a ruling by the Brussels Court of Appeal. She officially became a Princess of Belgium, putting an end to a legal battle that dates back to 2013.

Following a previous meeting with Albert II and Paola at the Château Belvédère, and a separate one with King Philippe at Laeken Castle, this is the third private meeting that has been made public since Delphine was officially recognised as Princess of Belgium.

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Maïthé Chini

The Brussels Times


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